Anyone know how to transfer old Crude Oil lease shares? (company, interest)

[starkmaui]

My father passed away a decade ago, passing my grandfather's crude oil lease shares in Kansas on to my stepmother in Oklahoma. Now she wants to give them to me to help the grandkids in college, but has no record of anything other than her monthly statement. I have talked to the National Cooperative Refinery Association (NCRA) who sends the monthly royalty payments. They have her name on the lease, but the Reno County Kansas Register of Deeds has another name (Stubbs and Mayer) on the lease, so it could be a sublease. I cannot find any lease managing company under the names associated with the lease, nor any contact info for the names on the lease. I have found connections to Phillips Petroleum and know that my grandfather worked for them until he retired.
No governmental office or even the NCRA has any idea on how we can transfer the shares without the lost deed. They seem clueless. I have searched and finally dead-ended... Any advice out there?

Mahalo nui, Michael Stark

[W James III]

Get your step mother to write out a will and get it notarized that her royalties go to you upon her death. That will help solve on issue if she does pass unexpectedly.

As for the deeds, the company should have copies of such items, if it’s in Kansas you need to find an Oil and gas lawyer who can help you.

Good luck

[HappyTexan]

Shouldn't all the leases be in a search of the underlying land ?
Possibly an RE Lawyer, one familiar with leases on land, can do a search on the land and see what comes up.

I know when I bought my ranch there were leases dated back to 1920 up to 1980 when they did the title search. I sat and read every one of them..interesting parts..they were all 10 year leases though that expired if no drilling occurred (which none did).